Lilian's Tree

I belong to both the Guild of One- Name Studies and the Surname Society and with both I have several One Name studies, the main one being ABBERTON.  Now when I starteedthis genealogy journey, nealy 35 years ago, everything was either microfisch, microfilm or paper, so you had to copy everything down. Well I did, every Abberton surname reference for both New South Wales and Victoria, sorted out which family was mine and after several years, ditched the ones that were of no use. (Insert head slap here).  Well guess who now has to go back and do it all again???? The only blessing is that I now know more that I did then and I can look for different spellings and the records are more up-to-date. Why not consider joining either or both societies and do a study of your surname? Guild of One-Name Studies. Surname Society Both allow you to search, to see if someone is doing the surname you are after. Happy Searching, Lilian.

I hope you have enjoyed the 12 Books in 12 Months theme and found something useful for you.  I am tossing up several ideas for 2020. One being a monthly Grateful Journal and the other a Mixed Bag. I have a young friend and she does a weekly Thankful post and then a Monthly one and it gives her a time to reflect on what has happened. I like that idea. The Mixed Bag,will be what ever catches my eye, at that time. Might be a good book, what I'm sewing/knitting, a place we have been or what I'm researching. Both ideas are still in the thinking stage, so watch this space. Thanks for reading. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Hugs Lilian

Unlocking Land: A Guide to Crown Land Records held at State Archives NSW, by Terry Kass. I have just finished three weeks of classes, held by the Botany Bay Family History Society, to which I belong, on land records.  This book was mentioned and I decided to purchase a copy.  I will say I haven't read it, fully, (yet),but have used it to help with information I needed. The book has 13 chapters and each chapter as several sections. Terry gives an extensive bibliography, in Chapter 12 and Chapter 13 has the New South Wales Record Series (NRS) List, to help you find the correct record to search. Good clear examples are given of the different reords, you might come across, some with a step by step guide as to how to search them. So if you want to explore the area, your ancestors lived in or look for the land they owned or even find out more about the plot you live on, try searching the NSW State Archives, find a copy of Terry's book to help decipher the records and uncove